Taking on the LJS’s Cherie Berrie by Ivy Harper

First, your line about “…our local liberal rag and our local liberal rubes…” reflects poorly on you, not on the LJS or its intelligent readers, of which there are many.

Second, the Washington Post is not perfect. I worked for the Post during the 1990’s so I have inside knowledge. The NYT + WashPost have just as many “sheeple”/”sharks” as any other profession. Some even wrote the book on “feeding frenzies” which is what has happened with Hagel. Try reading: The Daily Beast + Salon.com articles/analysis on Hagel for some insightful commentary or i*harper*se, iharperse@wordpress.com.

See, there’s the real rub: the Military-Industrial Complex knows Hagel will not “conform…” to their obsession with inflicting Constant War Syndrome on America. The MIC cannot handle losing; ergo, the fact that Hagel is still standing has – literally – unhinged them.

Third, as far as Politico goes, a few writers have been anti-Hagel for some time; others champion him. What does that prove? It’s simply one more struggling D.C. media entity filled with a few savvy writers and a handful of narcissistic Pulitzer wanna-bes.

Fourth, your allegation that certain organizations are concerned with Hagel’s “repeated and reflexive anti-Zionism” is a canard.

Fifth, your statement that Senate staff attrition “does not augur well for his [Hagel’s] DOD management” is unsubstantiated and anecdotal. Beyond that, a manager can oversee staff turnover and still be wildly successful. With stagnant institutions, it can be the best thing.

Sixth, your statement that the hearing was a spectacle is accurate. The spectacle, however, was the contemptible behavior of Hagel’s Senate colleagues.

Sure, he had a bad day; it’s called being human. President Reagan had many; Bill Clinton had some; if President Obama was judged wholly for his first 2012 debate performance against Mitt Romney, he would not be in the White House now. And so on. As Hagel reminded us, he should be judged on his overall record.

Seventh, with respect to confirming Kerry, the word on the D.C. street is that a number of politicians felt the need to make up for the GOP-led Swift-boating of Kerry in 2004; that they were [rightly] not about to hurt him a second time.[A great call] Regardless, the President should be able to pick his entire Cabinet the second time around. Bottom line: the GOP is being obstructionist.